There are certain requirements that have been enacted both nationally, in various states, and even in select foreign countries, where additives need to be mixed with certain fuels in order to reduce the pollution effects of the fuel when it is combusted, during operations of a vehicle. For example, it is known that the separate addition of urea solution to a vehicle has the effect of eliminating or reducing the nitrogen oxide emissions from the exhaust of diesel engines that power these types of vehicles, and these diesel exhaust fluids are dispensed into usually a separate tank within the vehicle, for eventual intermixing with the exhaust, to reduce these types of emissions during operations of the vehicle. As known, a urea solution is already applied as an auxiliary liquid in the heavy type of diesel vehicles, such as trucks, but it is also contemplated that such fluid will also be applied and used in diesel passenger motor vehicles, for the future.
But, when the urea solution is added to the vehicle, because of its potentially caustic effects upon the various components of the vehicle, or even its proximate fender where the fluid is added through the use of a specialized nozzle, it is essential that the design and construction of the nozzle needs to be perfected whereby little or no drippage will be encountered when the solution is added to the separate vehicle tank. To achieve this, usually the nozzle has various safety valves that completely shut off any flowage or even the residual drippage of any such solution, during its application to the vehicle.
The applicant herein, has developed a dripless spout, in the past, which was used in the dispensing of standard fuels to the vehicle, in order to prevent any drippage of fuel usually after completion of a fueling procedure, and prevent the drippage of gasoline onto the ground, which may have a tendency to create isolated vapors during and after fuel dispensing. This can be seen in the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,112, upon fuel dispensing nozzle having a dripless spout. The applicant also obtained U.S. Pat. No. 7,748,419, upon a dripless means for a fuel dispensing nozzle. As stated, these particular patented devices were for use with the standard nozzle, when dispensing gasoline and related fuels directly to a vehicle fuel tank, and not necessarily for application in dispensing of a specialized solution, such as a quantity of urea, to another tank in the same vehicle, when the dripless characteristics are even more demanded.
The applicant has also previously designed various types of dispensing nozzles for specialty fuels, as can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,115, relating to a specialty fuel dispensing nozzle.
Of more recent origin, there are filling nozzles that are designed for specific applications in dispensing a specialty fuel or solution to a vehicle, and can only be inserted and rendered operative into a vehicle fuel tank, to hold such specialty fuel, such as a urea solution, due to the unique dimensions of the nozzle spout, and to attain its opening to allow the dispensing of the specialty solution, when the nozzle spout is applied into the filler neck or the fuel pipe of the vehicle fuel tank. Such can be seen in the filling nozzle U.S. Pat. No. 9,242,849, which defines a filling nozzle for dispensing a liquid into a tank of a motor vehicle, which is rendered operative when its spout inserts within the filler neck, and various valves are unseated through movement of the spout therein, in preparation for dispensing of said solution to an isolated tank within the vehicle.
An example of the type of tank assembly that can be used for storing such solutions can be seen in the published application No. U.S.2008/0188923, defining a urea solution tank assembly.
Published application No. U.S.2014/0048173, shows a fuel nozzle, also having a safety device provided therein, for movement from a blocking position to an enabling position, and wherein the valve device is closed regardless of the position of the actuating lever, for the fuel nozzle.
These are examples the current known prior art relating to this technology, particularly with respect to the delivery to a vehicle fuel tank, or its auxiliary tank, of a specialty fuel or additive, in this particular instance, of the type designed to reduce pollutant emissions, particularly from the combustion exhaust of diesel fuel within a diesel engine for an automobile, truck engine, or for other related vehicles.